Medicare-funded home doctor visits under threat

THE COST to the Queensland health system would be $100 million higher over four years without access to after-hours doctor visits to households and nursing homes, a Deloitte Access Economics Report has found.

The home-visit Medicare rebate is under threat of being cut in the Federal Government's Medicare Benefits Schedule Review.

President of the National Association of Medical Deputising Services Dr Spiro Doukakis said house calls by doctors were an efficient alternative to emergency departments outside GP business hours.

"After-hours home visits are an essential Medicare service that more than one million Australian families rely on each year,” he said.

In the past year alone there have been 762,198 after-hours home doctor visits in Queensland.

Dr Doukakis said access to after-hours primary care had improved in recent years, saving lives and taxpayers' money by relieving pressure on emergency departments and ambulance services.

"This report shows that without this service, emergency departments would be inundated with new patients at heavy extra cost. Of course, this is precisely why the Howard Government reinvested in doctor home visits in the first place,” he said.

"Around 80% of Australians now have access to after-hours doctor home visits - a national success story which should be celebrated.”

Deloitte Access Economics' Lynne Pezzullo said improving access to primary care after hours had been a policy objective for all governments.

Ms Pezzullo said access to after-hours primary care had improved following government initiatives, particularly since 2005, reflecting the changing preferences of society and supply of primary care.

"After-hours pathways have different roles and ensuring the most appropriate pathway is utilised has significant benefit to the health system,” she said.

A study of 50,000 patients who used home and ACF visits showed 94% would seek care using an alternative pathway if the service did not exist.

Based on the preference information, the cost to the health system would be $181 million higher compared with after-hours home and ACF visits.

"Ensuring access and choice should continue to be a government policy objective,” Ms Pezzullo said.